Hymn to Indra
Rigveda VI.68 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 6 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
O Indra and Varuṇa, mighty lords both! To you we lift our supplications, ye who reign supreme in separate but complementary dominions. Indra, thou art the warrior-king of the visible world; Varuṇa, thou art the sovereign of the cosmic order and the waters. Yet together ye form a unity that sustaineth all that exists.
Indra, thou art our champion against the demonic forces that would bring chaos and suffering. With thy thunderbolt thou smitest the asuras; with thy strength thou dost protect the sacrificer and the righteous man. Thou hast slain Vṛtra, that great serpent of drought and obstruction, and released the waters that bring life to all beings.
Varuṇa, thou art the guardian of ṛta, the eternal law by which all things are governed. No lie escapeth thy notice; no breach of oath is hidden from thee. Thou art terrible in thy wrath to the wicked, yet thou art compassionate to those who confess their sins and seek to make amends.
When we call upon you both, we invoke a power that is both terrible and merciful, both fierce and just. Ye are the protectors of the sacrificer who acts with righteous intent. Ye are the enemies of those who work deceit and treachery.
Grant us, we beseech you, that we may dwell secure beneath your protection. May Indra's strength defend us from all external foes, and may Varuṇa's justice lead us ever forward upon the path of truth. Bind us both in covenant and compassion.
Accept our hymn, O mighty pair, and let your combined blessing descend upon us.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda VI.68
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
śruṣṭī vāṁ yajña udyataḥ sajoṣā manuṣvad vṛktabarhiṣo yajadhyai |
ā ya indrāvaruṇāv iṣe adya mahe sumnāya maha āvavartat || 1 ||
tā hi śreṣṭhā devatātā tujā śūrāṇāṁ śaviṣṭhā tā hi bhūtam |
maghonām maṁhiṣṭhā tuviśuṣma ṛtena vṛtraturā sarvasenā || 2 ||
tā gṛṇīhi namasyebhiḥ śūṣaiḥ sumnebhir indrāvaruṇā cakānā |
vajreṇānyaḥ śavasā hanti vṛtraṁ siṣakty anyo vṛjaneṣu vipraḥ || 3 ||
gnāś ca yan naraś ca vāvṛdhanta viśve devāso narāṁ svagūrtāḥ |
praibhya indrāvaruṇā mahitvā dyauś ca pṛthivi bhūtam urvī || 4 ||
sa it sudānuḥ svavām̐ ṛtāvendrā yo vāṁ varuṇa dāśati tman |
iṣā sa dviṣas tared dāsvān vaṁsad rayiṁ rayivataś ca janān || 5 ||
yaṁ yuvaṁ dāśvadhvarāya devā rayiṁ dhattho vasumantam purukṣum |
asme sa indrāvaruṇāv api ṣyāt pra yo bhanakti vanuṣām aśastīḥ || 6 ||
uta naḥ sutrātro devagopāḥ sūribhya indrāvaruṇā rayiḥ ṣyāt |
yeṣāṁ śuṣmaḥ pṛtanāsu sāhvān pra sadyo dyumnā tirate taturiḥ || 7 ||
nū na indrāvaruṇā gṛṇānā pṛṅktaṁ rayiṁ sauśravasāya devā |
itthā gṛṇanto mahinasya śardho 'po na nāvā duritā tarema || 8 ||
pra samrāje bṛhate manma nu priyam arca devāya varuṇāya saprathaḥ |
ayaṁ ya urvī mahinā mahivrataḥ kratvā vibhāty ajaro na śociṣā || 9 ||
indrāvaruṇā sutapāv imaṁ sutaṁ somam pibatam madyaṁ dhṛtavratā |
yuvo ratho adhvaraṁ devavītaye prati svasaram upa yāti pītaye || 10 ||
indrāvaruṇā madhumattamasya vṛṣṇaḥ somasya vṛṣaṇā vṛṣethām |
idaṁ vām andhaḥ pariṣiktam asme āsadyāsmin barhiṣi mādayethām || 11 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
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